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Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19683, 28 December 1933, Page 11

ART IN SOUTH CANTERBURY. To the Editor of '* The Timaru Herald ” Sir,—A few months ago I suggested in a letter in your columns that an effort should be made to resuscitate the South Canterbury Art Society, which some years ago was a very active organisation. Last winter two interesting lectures on art subjects were given by Mr P. W. Rule and Mr McClintock of the Technical College. If the South Canterbury Art Society were revived, there would be some prospect of a movement being initiated to make provision for a combined Art Gallery and Museum for Timaru. We have a few good pictures here in the Public Library whose proper housing has recently been a problem for the Timaru Borough Council. Perhaps interest will be revived by the series of lectures on Art to be given by Mr F. A. Shurrock of the Christchurch School of Art at the Summer School of the W.EA... I sincerely hope* that the lectures on Art will arouse sufficient local interest in Art matters to make the revival of the South Canterbury Society possible. If that were done we could perhaps soon initiate a movement to secure for Timaru a suitable building for a combined Art Gallery and Museum. —I am etc., R, STEWART. Timaru, December 26. THE ABATTOIR CONTRACT. To the Editor of '* The Timaru Sir, —Having left the Council in the friendliest spirit, I had decided to take no part in the discussion of municipal affairs for the present, but the Mayor’s unkindly and uncalled for remarks anent my resignation call for an immediate reply. The Mayor seems quite elated over the success of his and the Deputy Mayor’s policy which has thrown the third member of my family circle out of work, the latest one being the present abattoir managercontractor, a young man who, in addition to painstakingly qualifying himself to hold his appointments indefinitely, as his predecessors had done, spent £2OO a year from his own earnings to ensure satisfactory service, believing that all the members of his employing Council were fair and openminded gentlemen, and, as such, were capable of appreciating faithful, conscientious and meritorious work. I have no intention of retaliating, for I realise that they are oblivious of the fact that what they are now sowing they will most certainly reap, sooner or later, without my intervention. The two gentlemen referred to know nothing at all about the running of an abattoir. What they are chiefly concerned with is the bringing to fruition the schemes they formulate, at whatever expense to the community, as will be seen from their wholly unwarranted action in connection with the local abattoir. The function of a municipal abattoir is to provide a satisfactory service for the retail butchers of the town, and those butchers are the sole judges of what is satisfactory to them. The butchers of Timaru informed the Council that they were perfectly satisfied with the present abattoir service, and they urged the Council not to interfere with it. Ignoring these men, who are the Council's customers, the Council approved of two proj)osals, one that fresh slaughtering tenders be called, and the other that the contractor no longer act as manager. Unemployed men were now brought into competition with the present contractor, and

councillors who had expected the tenders to be much higher than formerly, seeing that all responsibilities, liabilities and duties at present undertaken by the manager were now placed on the shoulders of the contractor, actually voted for a much lower tender than the present one. And, by accepting this very low tender, the Council takes from the new contractors £360 a year, which they have no right to take, and cannot spend. It will be asked, “Why then, did the Council go to all this trouble to secure lower tenders, if the money saved thereby cannot be used by the Council?” That question was put to the Mayor at the very outset, and he could not answer it, nor could any member of the Council. The Council knows that other contractors receiving 3/9 for killing cattle and s*d for killing sheep made only a bare living. How do they expect men getting 2/5 for cattle and 33d for sheep to live? The DeputyMayor only a fortnight ago characterised as scandalous the remuneration given to a bath attendant, and yet he has approved of the abattoir contract cutting down the returns of the contractor. The Council has blundered. It has acted inhumanly; it has acted unwisety, and, it has acted illegally.—l am, etc., A. M. PATERSON. [Explaining the course taken in dealing with the work at the municipal abattoir, the Town Clerk stated yesterday that the Borough Council had merely followed the procedure taken two years ago, when Mr Paterson junr. became the successful tenderer. It was then decided to call for tenders for the slaughtering work, and Mr Paterson junr., having submitted the lowest tender, was given a two-year contract, displacing a contractor who had carried on the work for many years. This year the contract worked itself out by the effluxion of time, and the Council decided to call for tenders for slaughtering work and appoint a manager to oversee the work of the contractor. The tenders were opened before the full Council, who unani-. mously accepted the lowest. The Council on its part has merely repeated the procedure followed when Mr Paterson junr. became the successful tenderer for a two-year contract, which has now been worked out. The Council, however, decided that the dual position of contractor-manager should not continue, and in making the decision to separate the positions and call for tenders for the slaughtering work, the Mayor and Councillors have paid strict regard to relative legislation which invests the Timaru Borough Council with adequate legal authority relating to the working and the management of the abattoir.] SHEARING RECORDS. To the Editor of " The Timaru Herald ‘ Sir, —Record breaking in all exercises certainly means physical and mental ficness, and it requires great determination. Every man is not built with the powers of endurance, which are required in all physical work, and so we get the super man. Recently an article appeared in a New Zealand journal putting forward the claim of a world’s record for a day’s shearing oi ten hours, in which Mr de Malmanche is credited with shearing 412 sheep (which were caught for him'. The previous record was done by Bill Higgins of 372 sheep in 8 hours 40 minutes. But the season before last, A. E. Taylor, of Timaru. had shorn in a Rangitata shed, 335 full woo lied sheep In 7 hours 40 minutes, which is easily a world’s record, as the following figures will show: Mr Malmanche shore

412 sheep In 10 hours, average time per sheep, lmin. 27jsec.; Bill Higgins shore 372 sheep, in 8 hours 40 minutes, average time per sheep, lmin. 23 Ssec.; A., E. Taylor shore 335 sheep, in 7 hours 40 minutes, average time per sheep, I lmin. 224 sec. Taylor shore the last - twenty sheep in twenty minutes, which goes to show that he could have gone the full distance of the shearing day 8 hours 40 minutes—but as it was a Saturday, up till 4 o'clock constitutes a day. It is quite interesting to review the tallies of the early guns, and compare them with the present physical experts. Many claims have been made, and amongst them, Jack Mitchell, of Australia, who is credited with faster work than Jack Howe’s. Anyhow Jack Howe holds the record of shearing 321 lambs with the blades, which has stood from October 1892 till the present day. His biggest tally in ewes was ISl—and he took all day to put through fortynine wethers. He was a natural lamb shearer, and won the gold medal for the highest tally shorn in October, 1892. Tim Power of New Zealand put up the first big tally with the narrow gauge machine at Barcoola, Landsborough, Queensland, in 1892, shearing 315. These tallies seem wonderful, as you will see averages of 70 to 120 sheep on the tally board of most sheds, and the gift of a golden sovereign could not get another blow from any of the shearers. But it is hard work, and much capital is made out of records, when these big tallies are done, to lower the rates of shearing, by the sheepowner. Shearing rates should never be below 25/- per hundred so as to ensure a full board of physical experts, able to do the work required, particularly because of the heavy wool-carrying freezing works type of sheep generally bred, the shearer is given heavy work and big tallies are of the past.—l am, etc,, FRANK WADDELL. Timaru, December 27. THE VAGARIES OF DOUGLASISM. To the Editor of " The ' mam Herald Sir,—ln spite of severe reprimands, Mr A. M. Paterson continues his unending and meaningless letters, “When he (‘Value') reconciles his, opinions with F. J. Docker,” declares Mr Paterson, “he may let us know what he has to say for himself." So, Mr Paterson commences to lay down rules and regulations. However, Mr Paterson's regulations can be ignored; because he has no authority to make | regulations. Anyway, why should my opinions be reconciled with those expressed by Docker? As a matter of fact Docker condemns the Douglas plan, and my opinions entirely agree with that condemnation. Is that not sufflent reconciliation? But when Mr Paterson mentions reconciliation he touches a verv delicate Douglas subject. He should remember that many of the opinions expressed by Major Douglas, are sorely in need of reconciliation — Douglas frequently contradicts himself in his own writings. Some of his contradictions have been quoted during the present controversy. Can Mr Paterson reconcile the Douglas contradictions? Still further, there are various Douglas sects which strongly disagree with each other. Can Mr Paterson reconcile the differing opinions expressed by these sects? Certainly, Mr Paterson will have a very difficult task if he tries to reconcile Douglas literature. Probably, the task would be beyond his literary capabilities. Anyway it would be rather unfortunate if Mr Paterson attempted to reconcile Douglas opinions—his letters would have to twist and dodge even worse than they have already twisted and dodged. With n ference Douglas correspondent states: “I admit they

may mean nothing to him (‘Value’). That may be so. Douglas words are very much involved and complicated. This peculiarity seems to be proved by the fact that Mr Paterson has been quite unable to explain Douglas words or Douglas statements. Apparently Mr Paterson can find no meaning in Douglas words. If he understands Douglasism, he should be able to explain it. He has written dozens of letters about the subject, but with all their twisting, the letters have failed to twist Douglas literature into a translation. Therefore, when we remember that Mr Paterson has written a multitude of letters purporting to defend Douglasism, and when we remember further, that none of those letters has explained or proved Douglasism, we must conclude that Douglas words do not possess any sensible meaning. Douglasism must be believed by faith alone and it is a great pity that the few existing Douglas quacks cannot find a more sensible subject on which to exercise their .faith. But unfortunately, there is a slight fault in our social system—it leaves some openings for foolisn people and quackery.—l am etc,, VALUE.